ZFS-ALLOW(8)

💖 zfs-allow — the manual page, but make it cute 💖

ok so this is ZFS-ALLOW(8) from the System Manager's Manual, and bestie, it's literally about giving your unprivileged friends admin powers over ZFS. delegation but make it ✨secure✨.

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✨ NAME ✨

zfs-allow — delegate ZFS administration permissions to unprivileged users 🫶

like, you don't have to be root-root to run ZFS things anymore?? iconic behaviour honestly 👑

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🌈 SYNOPSIS 🌈

ok so here's the whole vibe, all the ways you can call it. copy these exactly bestie, no typos, the shell is judging you 🧚

give somebody powers:

zfs allow [-dglu] user|group[,user|group]… perm|@setname[,perm|@setname]… filesystem|volume

give everybody powers (yes, everyone, we'll talk):

zfs allow [-dl] -e|everyone perm|@setname[,perm|@setname]… filesystem|volume

make a whole permission set, create style:

zfs allow -c perm|@setname[,perm|@setname]… filesystem|volume

define a named set, so you can reuse the vibe later:

zfs allow -s @setname perm|@setname[,perm|@setname]… filesystem|volume

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and now the taketh-away versions, unallow, the ✨anti-allow✨:

zfs unallow [-dglru] user|group[,user|group]… [perm|@setname[,perm|@setname]…] filesystem|volume

take it back from everyone:

zfs unallow [-dlr] -e|everyone [perm|@setname[,perm|@setname]…] filesystem|volume

wipe out the permission set you created earlier:

zfs unallow [-r] -c [perm|@setname[,perm|@setname]…] filesystem|volume

yeet a named set into the void:

zfs unallow [-r] -s @setname [perm|@setname[,perm|@setname]…] filesystem|volume

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not me noticing unallow has -u and -g and -l and -r and -d, while plain allow is rocking -dglu… the letters are doing something, we'll get to every single one, don't worry 🎀

ok and that's where part 1 ends — the flags, the perms, the sets, all of it? coming right up 💅

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

Okay bestie, welcome to the allow section, this is where it all pops off 💖

🫶 zfs allow filesystem|volume

zfs allow filesystem|volume

This one just shows you the permissions that have been delegated on the filesystem or volume you point at. That's it, that's the vibe — pure reading. Peep the other forms of zfs allow for the juicy stuff ✨

Real talk though: delegations on Linux work except for mount, unmount, mountpoint, canmount, rename, and share. Those ones straight-up cannot be delegated, because the Linux mount(8) command restricts modifications of the global namespace to the root user. Not us. Not ever. It's giving gatekept 💀

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💅 zfs allow [-dglu] user|group[,user|group]… perm|@setname[,perm|@setname]… filesystem|volume

zfs allow [-dglu] user|group[,user|group]… perm|@setname[,perm|@setname]… filesystem|volume

🦋 zfs allow [-dl] -e|everyone perm|@setname[,perm|@setname]… filesystem|volume

zfs allow [-dl] -e|everyone perm|@setname[,perm|@setname]… filesystem|volume

This is the moment — it delegates ZFS administration permission for the file systems to non-privileged users. Handing out the aux cord, fr fr 👑

Here's the option lineup:

• -d — Allow only for the descendent file systems.
• -e|everyone — Specifies that the permissions be delegated to everyone.
• -g group[,group]… — Explicitly specify that permissions are delegated to the group.
• -l — Allow "locally" only for the specified file system.
• -u user[,user]… — Explicitly specify that permissions are delegated to the user.

And the arguments, bestie:

• user|group[,user|group]… — Specifies to whom the permissions are delegated. Multiple entities can be specified as a comma-separated list. If neither of the -gu options are specified, then the argument is interpreted preferentially as the keyword everyone, then as a user name, and lastly as a group name. To specify a user or group named "everyone", use the -g or -u options. To specify a group with the same name as a user, use the -g options.
• perm|@setname[,perm|@setname]… — The permissions to delegate. Multiple permissions may be specified as a comma-separated list. Permission names are the same as ZFS subcommand and property names. See the property list below. Property set names, which begin with @, may be specified. See the -s form below for details.

If neither of the -dl options are specified, or both are, then the permissions are allowed for the file system or volume, and all of its descendants. Like, the whole bloodline gets it 🧬

Permissions are generally the ability to use a ZFS subcommand or change a ZFS property. The following permissions are available — and yes, I'm listing every single one, no skipping, we are thorough in this house 🎀

⭐ the subcommand girlies ⭐

• allow — Must also have the permission that is being allowed
• bookmark — (no extra notes)
• clone — Must also have the create ability and mount ability in the origin file system
• create — Must also have the mount ability. Must also have the refreservation ability to create a non-sparse volume.
• destroy — Must also have the mount ability
• diff — Allows lookup of paths within a dataset given an object number, and the ability to create snapshots necessary to zfs diff.
• hold — Allows adding a user hold to a snapshot
• load-key — Allows loading and unloading of encryption key (see zfs load-key and zfs unload-key).
• change-key — Allows changing an encryption key via zfs change-key.
• mount — Allows mounting/unmounting ZFS datasets
• promote — Must also have the mount and promote ability in the origin file system
• receive — Must also have the mount and create ability, required for zfs receive -F (see also receive:append for limited, non forced receive)
• release — Allows releasing a user hold which might destroy the snapshot
• rename — Must also have the mount and create ability in the new parent
• rollback — Must also have the mount ability
• send — Allows sending a replication stream of a dataset.
• send:raw — Only allows sending raw replication streams, preventing encrypted datasets being sent in decrypted form.
• send:encrypted — Only allows sending raw replication streams of encrypted datasets, preventing encrypted datasets being sent in decrypted form and preventing decrypted datasets being sent at all.
• share — Allows sharing file systems over NFS or SMB protocols
• snapshot — Must also have the mount ability

🌈 the other icons 🌈

• receive:append — Must also have the mount and create ability, limited receive ability (can not do receive -F)
• groupquota — Allows accessing any groupquota@… property
• groupobjquota — Allows accessing any groupobjquota@… property
• groupused — Allows reading any groupused@… property
• groupobjused — Allows reading any groupobjused@… property
• userprop — Allows changing any user property
• userquota — Allows accessing any userquota@… property
• userobjquota — Allows accessing any userobjquota@… property
• userused — Allows reading any userused@… property
• userobjused — Allows reading any userobjused@… property
• projectobjquota — Allows accessing any projectobjquota@… property
• projectquota — Allows accessing any projectquota@… property
• projectobjused — Allows reading any projectobjused@… property
• projectused — Allows reading any projectused@… property

👑 the property legends 👑

• aclinherit
• aclmode
• acltype
• atime
• canmount
• casesensitivity
• checksum
• compression
• context
• copies
• dedup
• defcontext
• devices
• dnodesize
• encryption
• exec
• filesystem_limit
• fscontext
• keyformat
• keylocation
• logbias
• mlslabel
• mountpoint
• nbmand
• normalization
• overlay
• pbkdf2iters
• primarycache
• quota
• readonly
• recordsize
• redundant_metadata
• refquota
• refreservation
• relatime
• reservation
• rootcontext
• secondarycache
• setuid
• sharenfs
• sharesmb
• snapdev
• snapdir
• snapshot_limit
• special_small_blocks
• sync
• utf8only
• version
• volblocksize
• volmode
• volsize
• vscan
• xattr
• zoned

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✨ zfs allow -c perm|@setname[,perm|@setname]… filesystem|volume

zfs allow -c perm|@setname[,perm|@setname]… filesystem|volume

Sets "create time" permissions. These permissions are granted (locally) to the creator of any newly-created descendent file system. So whoever makes the baby dataset gets the keys 🔑

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🎀 zfs allow -s @setname perm|@setname[,perm|@setname]… filesystem|volume

zfs allow -s @setname perm|@setname[,perm|@setname]… filesystem|volume

Defines or adds permissions to a permission set. The set can be used by other zfs allow commands for the specified file system and its descendants. Sets are evaluated dynamically, so changes to a set are immediately reflected — instant glow-up, no reboot 💫

Permission sets follow the same naming restrictions as ZFS file systems, but the name must begin with @, and can be no more than 64 characters long. Sixty-four. Count it.

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💜 zfs unallow [-dglru] user|group[,user|group]… [perm|@setname[,perm|@setname]…] filesystem|volume

zfs unallow [-dglru] user|group[,user|group]… [perm|@setname[,perm|@setname]…] filesystem|volume

💜 zfs unallow [-dlr] -e|everyone [perm|@setname[,perm|@setname]…] filesystem|volume

zfs unallow [-dlr] -e|everyone [perm|@setname[,perm|@setname]…] filesystem|volume

💜 zfs unallow [-r] -c [perm|@setname[,perm|@setname]…] filesystem|volume

zfs unallow [-r] -c [perm|@setname[,perm|@setname]…] filesystem|volume

Removes permissions that were granted with the zfs allow command. No permissions are explicitly denied, so other permissions granted are still in effect. For example, if the permission is granted by an ancestor. If no permissions are specified, then all permissions for the specified user, group, or everyone are removed.

Specifying everyone (or using the -e option) only removes the permissions that were granted to everyone, not all permissions for every user and group. See the zfs allow command for a description of the -ldugec options.

• -r — Recursively remove the permissions from this file system and all descendants.

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🧚 zfs unallow [-r] -s @setname [perm|@setname[,perm|@setname]…] filesystem|volume

zfs unallow [-r] -s @setname [perm|@setname[,perm|@setname]…] filesystem|volume

Removes permissions from a permission set. If no permissions are specified, then all permissions are removed, thus removing the set entirely. Gone. Deleted. Not me crying over a permission set 😭

✨ EXAMPLES ✨

Okay bestie, this is the part where it all comes together 💖 theory is cute but watching it actually happen?? iconic. Let's go through them one by one, no skips.

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🌸 Example 1: Delegating ZFS Administration Permissions on a ZFS Dataset

So the vibe here is: we want user cindys to be able to create, destroy, mount, and take snapshots on tank/cindys — and literally nothing else. Slay. Here's how you'd grant that, and how you'd peek at what tank/cindys is currently serving:

# zfs allow cindys create,destroy,mount,snapshot tank/cindys
# zfs allow tank/cindys
---- Permissions on tank/cindys --------------------------------------
Local+Descendent permissions:
        user cindys create,destroy,mount,snapshot

Look at her, all delegated and demure 💅

BUT — plot twist 😭 — the tank/cindys mount point permission is set to 755 by default, which means poor cindys will be unable to mount file systems under tank/cindys. Rude. So you gotta add an ACE using syntax like this to hand over the mount point access:

# chmod A+user:cindys:add_subdirectory:allow /tank/cindys

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🌈 Example 2: Delegating Create Time Permissions on a ZFS Dataset

Now we're granting ✨create time✨ permissions. The goal: let anyone in the group staff create file systems inside tank/users. And the cute part? This syntax also lets staff members destroy their own file systems — but not anyone else's. Boundaries, we love that 🫶

# zfs allow staff create,mount tank/users
# zfs allow -c destroy tank/users
# zfs allow tank/users
---- Permissions on tank/users ---------------------------------------
Permission sets:
        destroy
Local+Descendent permissions:
        group staff create,mount

See how destroy shows up under Permission sets? That's the -c doing her thing, bestie. She's a create-time permission, not a regular one. iykyk.

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🎀 Example 3: Defining and Granting a Permission Set on a ZFS Dataset

Permission sets!! This is where you bundle a bunch of permissions together and give them a little name badge so you can hand them out like friendship bracelets 🦋 Here's defining and granting one on the tank/users file system:

# zfs allow -s @pset create,destroy,snapshot,mount tank/users
# zfs allow staff @pset tank/users
# zfs allow tank/users
---- Permissions on tank/users ---------------------------------------
Permission sets:
        @pset create,destroy,mount,snapshot
Local+Descendent permissions:
        group staff @pset

Name your set @pset, tag it in once, and the whole group gets the bundle. Efficiency queen 👑

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💜 Example 4: Delegating Property Permissions on a ZFS Dataset

Property permissions time! This one grants the ability to set quotas and reservations on the users/home file system. Watch how cindys can then do her thing without needing anyone's help:

# zfs allow cindys quota,reservation users/home
# zfs allow users/home
---- Permissions on users/home ---------------------------------------
Local+Descendent permissions:
        user cindys quota,reservation
cindys% zfs set quota=10G users/home/marks
cindys% zfs get quota users/home/marks
NAME              PROPERTY  VALUE  SOURCE
users/home/marks  quota     10G    local

Not the cindys% prompt changing mid-example to show you she's now acting as herself, no root, no drama 😌💅 literally the whole point of delegation.

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🍓 Example 5: Removing ZFS Delegated Permissions on a ZFS Dataset

Okay and sometimes you gotta take the permission back 🙈 Here's removing the snapshot permission from the staff group on the tank/users file system:

# zfs unallow staff snapshot tank/users
# zfs allow tank/users
---- Permissions on tank/users ---------------------------------------
Permission sets:
        @pset create,destroy,mount,snapshot
Local+Descendent permissions:
        group staff @pset

Notice how the @pset permission set is still sitting there, untouched and unbothered 👑 — only staff's direct snapshot grant got yoinked. zfs unallow is surgical like that. Periodt.

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And that's a wrap on ZFS-ALLOW(8), bestie 💖 you just read the whole thing, your brain is huge, your delegation game is unstoppable. This page comes to you from OpenZFS, dated June 14, 2026, and it lives in section 8 of the manual where all the sysadmin magic happens. Now go hand out permissions responsibly, ok? mwah 🌸✨